Tucupita Marcano - 1B - 26
Since his career year in 2023, Marcano has slowly dropped, not just in the eyes of our scouts, but in production as well. My hope is that this trend ends this season. At his best, he’s the type of player that can hit .300+ with 30+ doubles and 80 walks a season. His worst ain’t half bad, but it leaves a bit to be desired. If we want to get over the hump and move from a playoff team to a championship team, we’ll need a solid season out of our first baseman.
CJ Abrams - 2B - 25
Hopes were high for the young middle infielder last season, but I don’t think anyone expected the season we got out of Abrams. To put up 8+ WAR in his first season as a starter was absolutely ridiculous. What sort of expectations can I even set for him this season? Do I expect him to match last season’s production? Do I expect him to improve? Whatever the case, I’m excited to see how he develops this year. We should have the most entertaining middle infield in all of baseball.
Manny Machado - 3B - 33
The old man of our lineup. He’s still one of the best third baseman in the game and his resume just keeps growing - 2 Gold Gloves, 9 All-Stars, and 4 Silver Sluggers. The only thing missing is an MVP award. He definitely has the talent to produce one, it’s just unfortunate that there is so much talent and competition in the league right now. It will take an absolutely monster year for him to win one. The good news is that we don’t need him to win one in order for us to succeed. We just need him to keep playing like he has been.
Fernando Tatis Jr. - SS - 27
What can you say about a man that is literally a human highlight reel? He’s the face of the franchise, one of the faces of the league, and as long as he stays healthy, he’s going to put up monster numbers. He’s led the NL in WAR twice in the last 4 seasons. He’s been an MVP, he’s a 5-time All-Star, and he’s won 4 Silver Sluggers. He should be getting his 1,000th hit, his 200th double, and his 200th HR this season. He’s the key to our success.
Willie Marin - LF - 28
Marin burst on the scene last season and earned himself a Rookie of the Year award. Now we’ll be looking at Marin to build upon that success. At 6’6”, he’s an imposing figure in the box, and he uses his massive frame to crush balls. Having Tatis Jr., Machado, and Marin sitting in the middle of our lineup is enough to scare even the best of pitchers.
Carlos Tocci - CF - 30
This is a make or break year for Tocci. To be completely honest, this situation sucks for him. He’s only 30 and he regularly hits over .300, but he’s playing for his career here in San Diego. The bottom line is that Kops is coming. And either Lee or Tocci is going to be the one that has to sacrifice his position. On paper, Lee is the better bet for our long-term success. So it’s going to take a monster year for Tocci to keep his place with our club.
Shane Bieber - SP - 30
Last season was the first year since 2019 that Bieber looked almost human. Not to say that last season was bad by any means, but when you look at his body of work - 4 Cy Young awards in 5 years, it just doesn’t stack up. Last season was basically his worst season since his rookie year. But here I am complaining about a season in which he still earned 4.5 WAR. I’m just being greedy, I know. Still, with a young staff, we’ll need Bieber to lead the way and keep us on pace.
Jagger Haynes - SP - 23
Haynes showed the world what he could do last season in the playoffs, and expectations for him this year are through the roof. The big question is going to be - can he handle the pressure? With some of the nastiest stuff in the league, control beyond his years, and four pitches he can throw at will, Haynes can make even the best hitters look foolish. The most important thing for him this season will be to take things one pitch at a time and not let any one moment get too big for him. If he can do that, he might just nab a few awards this season.
The Bullpen
I always feel bad lumping these guys together, but talking about them individually feels redundant at times. We’re going to need this group to continue to be one of the best in the league if we want to make another run at a championship. Seth Elledge (29), Chad Green (34), Tim Hill (34), and Robby Butron (28) will be the core to our success. But there’s questions that remain this year. Will Butron adapt to the closer role? Will Shuichiro Hotta and David Harrison accept being moved into the pen? Will Tommy Sheehan be able to replicate the success of his rookie campaign? Is time catching up to the aging Archie Bradley?
Prospect Watch 2026
LF Max Kops - AAA (#3 Prospect)
SP Jagger Haynes - MLB (#6)
CF Zayed Salinas - AA (#59)
SS Victor Acosta - A (#64)
SP Victor Capristo - R (#69)
3B Heriberto Rodriguez - R (#72)
RF Andy Pages - MLB (#86)
SS Orelvis Martinez - AAA (#134)
C Jesus Galiz - AA (#158)
